Planning For Unplanned, No Appeasement, No Toxicity: EAM Jaishankar On Life's Mantra

Jaishankar emphasized that "no one is perfect" and mentioned that he tells people, especially youths, that he likes to remember the exams he "didn't pass."

New Delhi:Drawing from his wealth of professional experience in diplomacy, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday listed "three Cs of success" -- building "contact" having good "chemistry" with people and maintaining "credibility".

Addressing a gathering here at the launch of motivational speaker Shiv Khera's new book 'Live While You're Alive', he said people will have to accept that mistakes would happen, but the "key is not to fear the mistakes, but to recover from the mistakes", rectify them, while preparing for the best, but being "ready for surprises".

In a light-hearted comment, the EAM said the book talks about avoiding "chronic stress", but "avoiding chronic stress and being a minister doesn't go together". Jaishankar also underlined that "no one is perfect" and shared that he tells people, especially young people that he likes to remember exams that he "didn't pass".

"Most people understand I passed the UPSC, but I can tell you, I sat for the IIT entrance (exam) and I didn't pass," he said with a smile. In his nearly 30-minute speech, the veteran diplomat spelt out three Cs of success and offered instances from his professional life and the MEA experiences during Covid time and rescuing of Indian nationals from conflict-hit Ukraine.

The three Cs of success are -- contact, so, the more people one knows, the greater the reach; chemistry -- so, if you get along well, you can get things done with ease; and thirdly, and very importantly, credibility -- that is if they trust you, and it is "crucial attribute" in a world of diplomacy, he added.

The author of 'Live While You're Alive', Khera, is renowned for his bestseller 'You Can Win'.

"You will have to accept that mistakes will happen, but the key is not to fear the mistakes, but to recover from the mistakes, to rectify the mistakes, and to prepare your best, but be ready for surprises. That in a sense is what the life outlook which I would say was the larger gist of the book," Jaishankar said.

The Union minister said he had six takeaways from Khera's new book that he read on a flight back to India from the US.

The six crucial takeaways from his new book are "plan for the unplanned, invest in relationship. And, three, and this is not just a political statement, it is also a political statement, but also a personal statement, no appeasement. Four equally important, and I think in politics also, no toxicity. Five, respect time. And, six, the most important, get a good night's sleep".

Jaishankar said with his 41 years of experience in diplomacy, and six years running as a minister, the "MEA experience" in stress management has been a critical learning experience. "Life is unpredictable to a considerable degree. But, if you develop confidence, it can be navigated and managed. We must try our best," he said.